Artists reflect on visiting, documenting expeditionary center

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs
FORT DIX, N.J. (AFPN) --  In late June, five artists from across the United States visited the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center to create future pieces of art for the Air Force Art Program.

Included in the visit were Mr. William Frake of Carmel, N.Y., Mr. John Finger of Walnut Creek, Calif., Ms. Tatiana El-Khouri of Los Angeles, Calif., Mr. James Bennett of Pipersville, Penn., and Mr. Steven Walker of Richmond, Va.

During their visit, they received a complete tour of expeditionary center facilities and witnessed training venues for the Air Force Phoenix Warrior Course and Air Force Exercise Eagle Flag -- both on Fort Dix and at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst.

"This was my first trip, but what I heard from some of the other artists was that this was also their best experience," Mr. Walker said. "The trip was nothing like I expected and that was certainly a good thing."

Mr. Walker, who says his favorite type of artwork is "landscapes", operates a fine art studio for commercial and commissioned art in Virgina. He said going to the USAF EC was a "great first experience."

"Although I've always admired the Air Force, I walked away with a far greater respect for what is done," Mr. Walker said. "I came away with a lot of material to work from and now it's just a challenge to figure out what to focus on."

The material Mr. Walker and the other artists will create eventually makes its way to the Air Force art collection -- the world's largest collection of aviation art, according to Mr. Russell D. Kirk, director of the Air Force Art Program who works for the Secretary of the Air Force administrative assistant's office at the Pentagon.

"We have approximately 9,500 works in the program, and receive approximately 100 to 125 per year," Mr. Kirk said. "Every two years we host the 'Air Force Art Presentation' with the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force as co-hosts. This is a function that officially accepts all of the artwork donated over the past two years. It features works from artists who've been documenting our mission."

Mr. Bennett, who in the past has worked with comedian Jerry Seinfeld for illustrations for a book and has extensive experience as an illustrator, said he was able to gather a lot of good documentation from the expeditionary center visit for the works he plans to create.

"I thought, personally, the visit offered more interesting visuals, from a human perspective, than any other trip I'd been on previously," Mr. Bennett said. "Being able to photograph real (Airmen) in action, from a few feet away, was extraordinary."

"For someone like myself," Mr. Bennett said, "who uses personalities in most of my work, I look forward to seeing all of the reference we obtained. It was a side of the armed forces that I had not seen before and I appreciate the considerable efforts to achieve that."

Mr. Finger, an oil and watercolor painter, said he was glad to see the wide range of activities and capabilities the expeditionary center offers.

"We were able to see and be involved in a great variety of the aspects of the training going on at Fort Dix and at Lakehurst," Mr. Finger said. "Our contacts at each location we visited made our access to the visual materials we seek exceptional."

For Mr. Frake, whose illustration work includes creating the character "Scrat the Squirrel" for the Ice Age animated movie series, said he was thankful for the opportunity to visit.
"I cannot write words enough to thank you and all the Air Force personnel during the trip to all the bases," Mr. Frake said. "You had me at hello. If I wasn't under film contract, I would have signed up then and now."

The visit also provided Ms. El-Khouri, vice president of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, all she needed to create works of art for the Air Force.

"I really enjoyed participating in the art program at the Air Force Expeditionary Center," Ms. El-Khouri said. "The staff was very hospitable and open to explain their particular discipline and specialty at the center. The activities and experiences I received are invaluable and gave me a lot of material to inspire my painting for the program."

With the Air Force Art Program, Mr. Kirk said he appreciates everyone's support and assistance as it continues to grow.

"This documentation helps tell the Air Force's story for many years in the future," Mr. Kirk said. "Art has been around a long, long time and will continue to be a huge part of the way we capture our mission and tell the Air Force's story."

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